


Road to Damascus

by Donovanspen



Series: Walk Through the Valley [6]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Common Cold, Cuddling & Snuggling, Hurt/Comfort, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-30
Updated: 2013-05-30
Packaged: 2017-12-13 09:39:26
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,211
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/822823
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Donovanspen/pseuds/Donovanspen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Cas deals with his first human illness while Dean deals with his feelings for the transforming angel.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

“Man, that was intense,” Sam grumbled, stumbling towards their motel room.

Dean grunted, knowing that his brother was being generous in not mentioning how his distraction had caused the hunt to drag on. His mind hadn’t been in it, instead often wandering back to the sick angel holed up in the motel room. And what should have been a one day hunt tracking down a cursed object had turned into three long, exhausting days.

He was cold, tired, and in a generally pissy mood. He was glad to step into the warmth of their room, but his relief was short-lived when he saw Cas sitting at the table, several books spread out in front of him. His last words out the door had been ‘Get some rest’, something the angel clearly had not done. Dean had seen Cas coming out of battle looking healthier than he did now. But does Cas listen when Dean tries to help him? ‘Course not.

“Thought you were supposed to be resting.” Cas tensed up and Sam rolled his eyes at him, but he didn’t care. Sometimes it was like talking to a brick wall. “Go to bed, Cas.”

Defiant blue eyes locked with his.

“Don’t give me that look. We tried it your way, Mr. Don’t Need Sleep, and you only got worse. So no more sitting up.”

If at all possible, Cas’ glare intensified and while he didn’t utter a word, his expression was pretty clear. That and the fact that he didn’t bother moving from his chair.

“I’m not kidding, Cas,” Dean warned.

“It’s not a bad idea,” Sam interjected. “Some colds can get pretty nasty if you get too run down.”

“Maybe the next time someone tells you that you can’t go walking around Bobby’s yard barefoot in the middle of winter, you’ll listen.”

“I was hot,” Cas grated out.

Dean winced at the roughness of his voice. 

“Ok. Dean, not helping.”

This time Sam got the look. Why did the two of them fight him so much every time he tried to help them? And Sam damn well knew that he was right about this.

“Just saying,” Sam sighed. “Look, we’ve been running on fumes for the past two days. Now that this hunt is over, I just want to crash out. I’m going to hit the showers and then go grab us some dinner while you guys hash this out. Cas, I’ll stop by the front desk and see about getting a cot. You can have my bed.”

It was a generous offer, and Dean could see that Cas was having a difficult time snarking back at Sam. In fact, his brother must have taken the angel’s silence as acceptance because he nodded and then headed towards the bathroom. Dean waited until the door closed before taking a seat at the table.

“Look, I get it. I know why you don’t want to do it, but it really will help.  There’s a good chance that if you don’t get ahead of this thing, your body is going to demand that you sleep. You won’t get a choice in the matter.”

Cas kept fiddling with the book on the table, but Dean could tell that he was listening. The defiant posture was gone, and Cas was beginning to show just how much this cold was dragging him down.

“Tell you what – forget the cot and you just share with me? You can kick back and watch tv. Sam and I are so wiped, we won’t even hear it.”

Cas frowned and his shoulders slumped in a sign of defeat. He gave a slight nod and closed the book he was reading. “Very well.”

Dean knew that he was agreeing to it just to humor him and not for any real concern for himself. He didn’t doubt that Cas felt bad. The red, watery eyes and gravely voice validated that he did. But he was pretty sure that Cas was just in denial about something as simple as a head cold taking him down.

 

Dean was well into his third hour of a restful sleep when he was jostled awake. Cracking an eye open, he tried to figure out what had disturbed him. The room was still dark save for the blue luminous glow from the television. He could see that Sam was still asleep, so whatever it was hadn’t been enough to wake him. He glanced over his shoulder to check on Cas.

“Cas?” he whispered. “You ok?”

The angel was sitting on the side of the bed with his back towards Dean.

“Cas,” he tried again, scooting a little closer.

“Pennsylvania.”

“What?” Dean edged closer.

“We need to go to Pennsylvania.” 

It took a moment for his brain to process what he was hearing. “You had a vision.”

Cas nodded, a hand coming up to swipe across his face.

“You ok?”

Another nod. 

Dean blew out a sigh as he mourned his loss of sleep. It wasn’t ideal, but at least he was accustomed to running on little to no rest. “So, what do we got?” he asked, pushing himself to a sitting position. 

“Just Pennsylvania,” Cas answered, his voice loud enough for Dean to hear how raw it sounded. 

“Just a state? No town, no name, no monster?”

Cas gave a sharp shake of his head as he glared at him. 

Dean closed his eyes and flopped back onto the mattress. “Wake me when we have something concrete to go on.”

“Dude,” he hissed when Cas gave him a sharp poke in his side. “I’m not about to get up and drive six hours with no leads. We’re exhausted. We can’t go into a fight tired.”

Cas made a frustrated sound and made a move to stand up. Dean reached out and grabbed his arm. “I didn’t say we wouldn’t go. Just let us rest up. If you get another vision or start getting headaches, we’ll head out.”

The angel shifted nervously next to him, and Dean knew that he still wasn’t convinced. Even as exhausted as he was, he could see the moment when Cas squared his shoulders. 

“Don’t even think about it. Because if you do, when you make it as far as the parking lot, I’ll be out there, waiting to kick your ass.”

“Dean.”

“Dude, you sound like shit. Come back to bed. I promise, just a few more hours or until the next vision.”

He gave a small sigh of relief as Cas eased back onto the bed. He was still tense and definitely agitated, but Dean still counted it as a win.

 

 

Cas had the next vision around 5am. Now he had a name and a city. They were on the road by 6am, and Dean was not pleased to be heading back into colder temperatures. At least he’d managed to get a few more hours of sleep. They arrived by mid-afternoon after a small stop for lunch.

“Turn here,” Sam pointed to the upcoming left.

Cas leaned forward and peered over the seat.

“Relax, Cas. We’re going to drop you at the motel, and then Sam and I will go and check things out.” He met his eyes in the rearview mirror, already expecting the fight.

“No.”

“Not going to argue.” He pulled into a parking space and cut the engine before turning so he could face him. “You’re not up for any kind of hunt. You need to rest. The last thing you need is to be out running around in the cold.”

“I will not stay behind in the room again.”

“You don’t have a choice.”

“Dean, chill. He’s right, though, Cas. Let us check it out first, and if you need to jump in, then absolutely.”

“Dean.”

“Cas.”

“I …have to do this.”

Dean faltered as he stared at Cas’ watery but steely gaze. He got it. He completely understood what it meant to be personally involved. Didn’t mean he liked it, though.

“Just this meet and then you come right back here.” It didn’t escape his notice that Cas didn’t agree. He just settled back in his seat and turned his attention out the window.

“What do we have, Sam?” No point in dragging this out. He backed out of the parking lot and headed back out towards the main highway.

“Not much. Darcia Granger. Forty years old. Single. No kids. Lives by herself. Apparently she’s a fairly well-known psychic, even helping the police on unsolved cases.”

“Huh. Anything going on right now?”

“Well, Bobby found an ongoing case. A missing teenage girl. Apparently, the police didn’t have any leads and the family turned to Darcia for help. She turned up the last lead. Says here that she’s helped the police before on cases like this, specifically missing children.”

“An active case? Well, this just got a hell of a lot harder.”

“How so?” Cas leaned forward again.

“It’s hard enough trying to insert ourselves into the middle of an investigation, even more so when children are involved. With a missing child case, people are even more on guard,” Sam explained. 

“This just gets better and better,” Dean muttered. He ignored Sam’s sharp look because he knew that his brother had to be feeling the same way. 

 

“Ok, so how are we doing this?” He pulled over a block from the address and looked over at Sam.

“I think Cas should go in by himself.”

“What? No way.”

“He’ll be fine. You good, Cas?”

“Yes,” he croaked.

“Are you kidding? Listen to him.”

“Go ahead, Cas,” Sam told him. “If you’re not back in fifteen, we’ll come in.”

He was about to protest again when his brother shot him a look. The look. He bit his tongue and waited until Cas was gone before he let loose. “What the hell, Sam?”

“I should be asking you the same thing. What’s going on, Dean?”

“What’s going on? He’s sick. And you just sent him off into who the hell knows what, without any backup.”

“Look, what’s happening to Cas isn’t great, but it looks like a chance for redemption. I don’t think he’s being sent on suicide missions.”

“You don’t think?”

“This isn’t my first job, Dean. I can read a situation. Besides, I’m not the one emotionally invested.”

“Sam,” he warned.

“He didn’t sleep in my bed.”

“Nice. Real nice.”

“I just want to know what’s going on. You owe me that. Are you guys … together?”

“What? No. Come on, Sam. ”

“Well, what am I supposed to think when you won’t talk to me? You’re my brother. No judgment, all right?”

“Dammit, it’s not like that.”

“Then what? What’s it like, Dean?”

“I don’t know!” he snapped. “I … don’t know,” he repeated, trying to calm down. “I can’t put a name to it, all right? It’s just Cas. Can you just … not give me shit about this? Please.”

“I won’t,” he promised, “but this isn’t working. Look, I get that you’re scared about what this can mean, but Cas is putting a lot of effort into trying to show you how strong he is.”

“He’s difficult.”

“You’re abrasive.”

“Scuse me?”

“I know you’re just looking out for him. Maybe let him know it’s ok.”

“What about this is ok? And why the hell can’t you be the reassuring one?”

“Because he’s not fighting me,” Sam shot him a look. “Whenever you come at him, he pushes back. That’s just how you two are. When you open up to him, he responds.”

Dean sighed. He had really thought that he and Cas were past all this ‘stuff’ but obviously not. First sign of trouble, and they fall back into their old patterns.

“I get that you want to protect him. It’s what you do. Remember how Bobby was when he came out the hospital? It took him a while to get his bearings, but he did. He found a way to make it work. Cas will, too. He’ll let you know what he needs.”

While he appreciated what his brother was trying to say, he was beyond ready for this conversation to be over. He could barely understand what it was that he felt for Cas, let alone explain it to somebody else. He had never been one to easily open up and share, always preferring actions over words, but Cas was different. He felt different. Their relationship was different than any other he’d ever known. And he couldn’t take a chance on messing up, but that didn’t mean he knew how to put it all into words that Sam would understand.

He was looking for ways to change the subject when he glanced up and saw Cas approaching them. He definitely looked worse than he did before he went in.

“What happened? Are you all right?” He was twisting around in his seat before Cas was even fully in the car.

“Glad we had that talk,” Sam muttered just loud enough for Dean to hear him.

“She is,” Cas trailed off, wincing. Swallowing heavily, he tried again. “She is not a psychic.”

Both Dean and Sam sat stunned for a moment. He could honestly say that he hadn’t considered that possibility. If anything, he’d expected for Darcia to have some message for Cas, or with their luck, maybe working for the bad guys. But no case?

“You sure?”

“Yes.”

“How can you tell?” Sam asked.

“I tested her.”

“And?” he prompted.

“She is misleading people by pretending to have information she does not possess.”

Dean glanced at his brother and then back to Cas, taking in his sick but highly aggravated visage and gave up all hope for an easy resolution.


	2. Chapter 2

“I don’t understand why we are wasting time in a motel room,” Cas ground out, stubbornly refusing to leave his post by the door. “We should be working on exposing Darcia Granger.”

“It’s not that simple.” He looked to Sam for support, but his brother was focused on his laptop and apparently tuning them out.

“She is providing false information, claiming her visions are a gift from God.”

“And how do you know they’re not?” And wow. He knew that he made Cas angry from time to time, but he hadn’t been on the receiving end of ‘that’ look in a long time.

“She was unable to read me, nor could she sense me.”

“Most people can’t.”

“A psychic should have sensed something. I even allowed my grace to touch her senses, and she still gave no indication of being able to perceive me.”

“But she wasn’t wrong when she said you were on a journey and had suffered a loss,” Dean tossed his words back at him.

“Vague and inconclusive,” Cas dismissed. “Why do insist on arguing this?”

“Because I’m not ready to take hope away from this family. This woman has worked with the police. She found the last lead. So far, everything but you points to her being legit. If we paint her as a fraud when we’re really not sure, we can cause a lot of damage.”

“I’m sure.”

“How? Because she didn’t sense you? How do you even know that there is enough angel left for her to sense?” It was a dick thing to say, but that was the fear that was gnawing away at Dean.

Cas didn’t say anything, didn’t even blink. Not even when the lights flickered and a loud crack of thunder shook the room.

 “All right then.” Sam stood up, obviously deciding now might be a good time to step in. “Here’s what we’re going to do. I’m going to speak to the family and see what their take is on her. Dean, you guys can stay here and try to dig a little deeper on Darcia. And while I’m gone, you two need to get this settled.”

The room was quiet after Sam left, neither of them wanting to be the first one to give in.

“The hell with this,” he grumbled after another few minutes of awkward silence. He walked over the closet and pulled out Cas’ duffle. He rummaged through, looking to see what Cas had in the way of clean clothes. Even with the recent developments, he still rarely needed to change outfits. Reaching for a pair of sweatpants, his hand brushed against something soft. Pulling the pants out, he saw the stuffed animal that he had given Cas while he was in the hospital. Rubbing his fingers against the soft fur, he thought back over all that they had been through. In light of all of that, he realized that it was pretty ridiculous to be arguing over a cold. Never mind that he was scared about what Cas catching a cold could mean.

“Ok.” He turned back around to face him. “Let’s call a truce.” He held out the pair of sweatpants. “You go take a hot shower and change into these. When you come out, I’ll bring the laptop over to the bed. You can do the research with me while lying down. Deal?”

Giving a slight nod, Cas took the clothes and headed into the bathroom. Dean felt some of his unease fade. If he could get Cas resting, maybe that would be half the battle.

He was already settled on the bed with the laptop open by the time Cas emerged from the bathroom. He ran a critical eye over the angel, satisfied that he didn’t appear any worse. And Cas seemed to have lost a bit of his fighting spirit as he hesitantly made his way over to Dean.

“Take a load off.” He motioned to the pillows that he had stacked next to him that would allow Cas to recline back but still see what he was pulling up on the computer.

“Have you found anything?”

Dean tried not to react to the rawness in his voice. Baby steps. At least he was lying down. “Nothing that we didn’t already know. You’re sounding worse. I’ll read out what I’m finding and if something strikes you as odd, just give me a nudge. You don’t want to get to the point where you can’t speak at all.”

The huffy little noise that Cas made told Dean exactly what he thought of that, but he didn’t argue the point. Instead, he shifted a bit and then settled back, waiting patiently for Dean to begin.

After thirty minutes of searching, they still didn’t have anything concrete on Darcia. “Ok. So she’s helped on a few missing persons cases. Found solid clues for the police although the people were never found. She’s had other cases but nothing conclusive. Too bad Bert’s retired. We could have her just come read her and find out if she’s the real deal.” He glanced over at Cas to check his reaction and was surprised to find him asleep.

“Bout time,” he muttered to himself. 

After another half hour of searching, he was ready to call it quits. Shutting down the laptop, he let his eyes wander over Cas. The weariness hadn’t left his face yet, but he appeared to be resting comfortably. He eased the laptop over onto the nightstand. He thought that his movements had woken Cas when he felt him shift, but he only moved closer, pressing himself up against Dean. After making sure Cas was still out, he slid down into a more comfortable position. This was new. All the times that he and Cas had shared before had resulted in both of them on their respective sides, not touching. Cas had never drifted closer to Dean or sought him out in any way. And as surprising as this was, it certainly wasn’t unwelcome.

He closed his eyes and let the soft sounds of Cas’ breathing pull him towards sleep. He was almost out when he heard the lock give on the door. The sound of the heavy door opening and closing startled Cas, wide blue eyes flying open in panic. Dean wrapped an arm around him as he scrambled to get up.

“Easy, Cas. It’s just Sam. Ok?” He kept his voice soothing and his arm around him. It took a minute but Dean could see when the confusion left his eyes. He could also feel the body next to his tense up as he became fully aware of their close proximity.

“Sorry about that Cas.” Sam was in the small kitchenette unloading a couple of grocery bags. 

Cas grunted what could have passed for ‘that’s ok.’

“Well, since you’re awake, I have some stuff for you.”

Dean had known the minute he saw what Sam had started setting out on the table. Whenever one of them got sick, his brother attacked it like it was a case. Apparently, Cas’ grace period had run out. He also noticed that while Cas was looking at the stuff that was laid out, he wasn’t speaking. That one little acknowledgment that he’d just made to Sam had sounded horrible. His throat had to be on fire. 

“This is how Sam does colds,” he explained to Cas, who he still had pulled close to him. “He’s going to attack this thing with vitamins and fluids and douse you with meds so that you go through the entire thing in a haze.”

Cas frowned and started to pull away. Dean relaxed his grip enough that so that he could put some space between them. “Stay put,” he told him while he got up to inspect his brother’s purchases. “We’ll see what he’s got and then get back to the case.”

“Did you find anything?” Sam asked.

“Nah. Everything we found was pretty much the same old stuff. Waiting to see what you found and if it matches up to anything.” He started sorting through the various cold medicines. 

Sam was already one step ahead of him and was over besides Cas. “I picked up a few things for your sore throat. The medicine will help dull the pain, but sometimes eating something helps also. Some people like hot stuff. I got soup and tea if that’s the case. Others like cold. We have yogurt, pudding, and juice. I also got some grapes to put in the freezer.”

Cas looked as if he was about to dig his heels in, and Dean was ready to head him off before he even got started. “Come on, man. If something is really going on here, we might need your help, and you can’t do it like this.”

He stared at them for a moment before finally nodding. 

“Perfect. I’ll make you some tea and you can start with hot and see if that works.” Sam handed Cas several packages of cold medicine. “Take a look at these and see which one you think might be the best fit for how you’re feeling.”

It was like this when Dean remembered that he should never underestimate his brother. Not only did he not give Dean strange looks for catching them out and out cuddling, but he was also allowing Cas to have a say in handling his own health issues. And he was so grateful because he was so tired of fighting. 

While Sam tended to Cas, he began unpacking the dinner that Sam brought back. Turned out that hot made Cas’ throat hurt more so Sam swapped out the tea for a rice pudding cup. It took everything Dean had not to gag when he saw what it was, but hey, Cas was eating it, and that’s all that mattered. He grabbed his takeout container and sat on the bed, wanting to bridge the gap so that Cas didn’t feel left out. 

“So anything?” he asked.

“Actually, yeah. Turns out that Darcia’s sister is connected to a cult.”

“How the hell did the cops miss that?”

“They didn’t know what to look for. Darcia made it a point to cover her tracks. Anybody looking into her past would see just what she wanted them to see. A normal person with an extraordinary gift.”

“So what do we do? Any ideas on how to expose her?”

“I already called Bobby. He’s going to have some hunters in the area check out the group and see if there’s anything to it. I was also able to check back to see if she had helped on any other cases.”

“Yeah, so did we, but nothing turned up any red flags.”

“Except that she always seems to manage to get involved in the investigation,” Sam pointed out.

“So, what?” Dean asked, trying to fit all the pieces together. “The girls are taken and then she inserts herself into the investigation to throw the police off the trail?”

“Looks like. Someone drops a clue and maybe lets Darcia in on it. She tells the family and sends the investigation into a completely different direction. She’s not suspected because she was able to lead them that far.”

“Well, I guess this is why we’re here. Looks like you were right, buddy.” He noticed that the angel didn’t look particularly happy about being vindicated. 

“So what now?” Cas whispered. 

“I think we lay low and get a good night’s sleep,” Sam answered with a shrug. “We don’t want to spook her. Right now, you were just a random customer. She has no reason to think anyone is investigating her.”

“And no offense, but Sam and I should make sure that we don’t get too run down. Colds are contagious, and if this turns into something big, we can’t all be sick.”

Cas looked distressed by Dean’s words, but he nodded.

He felt bad, but it needed to be said. He wouldn’t have pulled his punches with Bobby or Sam, and he couldn’t do it with Cas. And deep down, he knew that the angel didn’t want to be treated with kid gloves. It might suck now, but Dean knew that Cas would at least respect the honesty. 

 

The last case, coupled with a day of driving, and Dean was ready to call it night. Sam had stretched out about fifteen minutes ago and was already snoring. Cas had chosen a daytime medicine, but it wasn’t enough to keep him from fighting off sleep. After checking the security of the room one last time, Dean stripped down to his t-shirt and boxer briefs and walked over to the bed. 

“Need anything?” he whispered, not wanting to wake Sam.

Cas shook his head and that was good enough for Dean. He’d eaten something and taken his cold meds as requested. He’d even stayed in bed. He tried not to think of this as an indication of how terrible Cas was feeling but more of a show of cooperation.

He climbed in beside him, and before Cas could scoot further onto his own side, he held out his arm. “C’mere.”

Cas stared at him for so long that Dean was beginning to think earlier was a fluke, but then, ever so slowly, Cas moved back towards him. Dean wrapped an arm around his shoulder and pulled him closer until they were lying as they had been earlier. 

“Try to get some rest,” he murmured. “If you dream, I’ll be here.”

Cas didn’t say anything but eventually draped his arm around Dean’s waist and rested his head on his chest. 

 

 

It wasn’t nightmares that woke Cas, but the incessant coughing and the resulting pain in his throat. Each spasm resulted in a wince and Cas helplessly holding his throat in an attempt to alleviate the pain. Dean, at a loss for how to help, rubbed comforting circles along his back until Sam muttered ‘frozen grapes’.

Dean scrambled from the bed and retrieved one of the baggies from the freezer. Once the coughing began to die down, Dean handed over the frozen fruit. “That help?”

Cas nodded, his bloodshot eyes full of gratitude. “Thanks,” he grated.

“No talking,” Dean ordered. “We’ll figure out a way to understand you.”

Looking over at the alarm clock, Dean counted the time from Cas’ last dose of medicine. After comparing the various remedies he settled on a multi-symptom nighttime elixir. The sore throat and cough were a given, but he was pretty sure he heard a bit of nasal congestion as well. He carried the bottle and measuring cup back over to Cas.

As expected, the angel refused the medicine and pointed to the remaining bottles on the table. 

“I know you don’t want to be drugged up, but this is the best one. All this stuff will only treat the symptoms. You need to ride this out and rest will help.”

When Cas still looked skeptical, he offered, “there’s a good chance this will knock you out, and you’ll sleep right through.”

He didn’t look convinced, and he couldn’t blame him. He never liked taking the stuff when Sam tried to push it on him. But this was Cas’ first cold, and Dean wasn’t taking any chances. He leaned a little closer to him and dropped his voice. “I’ll stay with you.”

Another coughing fit had Dean rubbing his back again. When Cas could take a breath, he nudged the medicine back over to him. 

Cas held the bottle, his eyes lingering on the packages on the table before he nodded. 

“You need anything else?” he asked after Cas swallowed the cherry-flavored liquid. 

Cas answered with a shake of his head.

Dean handed him a cough drop. “Suck on this. It’ll help until the medicine kicks in. Just don’t nod off and choke on it,” he warned, settling back on his side.

The coughing was easing up, and Cas appeared a little less miserable. Not bothering with an invitation this time, Dean moved over until he was close enough to him to feel his warmth. 

 

 

By morning, the congestion was definitely there. The good news was that the sore throat wasn’t bothering Cas as much anymore, and he seemed determined to try to convince them that he was doing better. His voice still sounded totally wrecked, but Cas assured them that it didn’t hurt to speak. 

Dean wasn’t buying it, though. He’d been sick enough times to know that what Cas had yesterday didn’t miraculously disappear overnight. And while the sore throat may be gone, the cough was hanging around and getting deeper. “You’re not better yet. You still need to rest.”

“I have rested,” Cas argued. “I am well enough to help.”

He remembered Sam’s words from yesterday. “It’s not about being strong enough to help. I know you’re tough. I’ve seen what you can take, no doubt. But now, I need you to lean on me for a while, all right? You may be feeling better, but if you get up and try to go full steam, you’re gonna wipe out.”

He could see that Cas wasn’t happy, but he did sit back down on the bed.

“I understand but ….”

“Then just do this for me,” Dean broke in, taking a seat next to him. “Right now, we’re in a holding pattern. Sam and I are just going to dig around and do some more research while we wait for Bobby. I know it sucks hanging back in the room, but I need you to get better.”

The defiant look was back but he didn’t argue, and Dean would take what he could get right now.

 

 

“Ok, thanks, Bobby.” Dean disconnected the call and looked over at Sam with a shrug. “Well, that’s that. One of Bobby’s guys got an eye on a girl in the camp. She went missing last year. An anonymous tip along with the pictures and the stuff we found, and it’s case closed. I imagine someone will be picking up Darcia Granger any moment now.”

“Well, guess Cas will be relieved.” Sam closed the file folder that he had been reviewing and took another sip of his coffee.

“Doubt it. He hated being sidelined, and now that there isn’t a case, he’s probably going to feel even worse.”

“Yeah, but who knows how many girls could have been taken if it wasn’t for Cas not believing she was a psychic.”

“No, I get it, but not sure he’ll see it the same way.”

“Probably not, but you got him to rest last night and that’s something.”

He braced himself, waiting for the inevitable commentary, but Sam just continued on as if Dean’s changing relationship with the angel was perfectly normal.

“Maybe we should stay for another day or so, make sure Darcia gets picked up, take a breather.”

He’d also been thinking about staying for a bit. Now to convince Cas to go along with it. 

 

He heard the coughing before he even opened the door. And Cas looked just as bad as he sounded. 

“I knew it was too much to hope that you would stay in bed.” He dropped down into the chair across from him.

Cas just grunted but kept his eyes focused on the laptop screen. 

“Are you still looking for some type of connection for this case?”

Cas looked up. “Did you find anything?”

“Actually, yeah. Bobby’s friend did. She was definitely covering for her sister. Police have already raided the cult.” He was glad that it was an easy case, but he did feel a bit of guilt when he watched Cas deflate a little.

“So, I assume we’ll be leaving soon?” he asked, closing the laptop.

“Actually, we’re going to hang around for a couple of days. Sam is making sure Darcia doesn’t hit the road, and we could use a couple of down days to catch up on laundry and sleep and stuff.”

“Of course. I’m sure it has nothing to do with my decreased capacity.”

“About as much as it would if it were me or Sam,” he answered honestly. “Just a day or so to catch up.”

Cas’ answer was another deep cough.

 

 

Three days later and they were still in the same motel, Cas slowly recovering from a diagnosis of bronchitis. A low-grade fever along with the cough had Sam deciding that Cas maybe needed to see a doctor.

Cas had been a model patient, not fighting them over taking medicine or resting. Dean had tried to make him as comfortable as possible. Right now they were resting on the bed, watching a marathon of campy monster movies. Well, at least he’d been watching. Cas had been distracted for the past thirty minutes or so.

He picked up the remote and pressed mute. “Ok, what’s up?” he asked when Cas didn’t react.

It seemed to take another minute for Cas to blink and realize that the volume was down and that Dean was talking to him. “What?”

“I asked what’s up? You’ve been spacing out.”

Cas furrowed his brow and seemed to gather his thoughts. 

“Is it because we’ve been here so long?” he prompted. “That could have happened to any of us, man.”

“No, that’s not it,” he replied slowly, pushing himself up and putting a little distance between himself and Dean.

He waited another minute, raising his eyebrow for emphasis. 

“I …apologize for being difficult. I realize that you were only trying to help me.”

“No worries. Nobody likes being sick….”

“It’s not just that,” Cas interrupted. 

Dean was starting to get a little concerned now. Cas was usually pretty blunt about whatever he wanted to say. But right now, he seemed nervous and maybe a bit unsure of himself. Dean knew that getting sick with a human ailment for the first time had to be pretty unsettling, but he’d thought Cas was handling it pretty well. And he seemed fairly at ease with being close to Dean, even though he never initiated the contact.

“I don’t want you to feel obligated towards me in any way.”

“Cas, we’ve been through this. You’re family. I don’t do this under obligation.”

“And what about this?” he asked, looking at Dean and the space between them.

Oh. His first instinct was to move away, and play it off as an offer of comfort to a sick friend. But the uncertain look in Cas’ eyes wouldn’t let him do it. 

“It’s not an obligation, Cas. It’s,” he paused, struggling to find the right word. “Affection.”

“Affection?”

“Yeah. Because I care about you. But if this makes you uncomfortable…”

“No,” Cas said quickly. “It doesn’t. But I’m not sure what to do. I don’t know the rules.”

Dean chose his words carefully, knowing that this would set the course of their relationship. “The only rule is to be honest to yourself. Do what feels right to you. If I do something that makes you uncomfortable, tell me.”

“So, are we…?”

“We’re us,” he supplied when Cas seemed to be searching for the appropriate label. “We don’t fit neatly into some already pre-defined category. What we feel for each other is intense, and I’m pretty sure that all of this doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface. But I want you to know. I don’t ever want you guessing again as to how I feel.”

Cas stared at him, his eyes wide as Dean’s soft-spoken words washed over him. 

“Are we good?”

“I believe so,” Cas nodded.

“Good.” He lifted his arm and waited for Cas to move back up against him before he turned the volume back up.

**Author's Note:**

> Apologies for any typos I may have missed.


End file.
